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It was a perfect mix for a Sunday night - good weather, music and hot food.
Thousands turned out for the Sky City Starlight Symphony at the Auckland Domain.
The event was postponed on Saturday because of bad weather but the black clouds that threatened the city last night did not give way to rain. Families brought along deckchairs and picnics to enjoy the free entertainment, with diva Dame Kiri te Kanawa the star attraction.
At the beginning organisers estimated about 50,000 people in the audience, but people filed in throughout the night. Last year 130,000 people turned up.
Dame Kiri was the headline act but other musicians, singers and dancers kept the crowd entertained.
One special star was Frazer MacDiarmid. The 14-year-old, who sang Pie Jesu from Faure's Requiem, was the youngest performer.
Dancers choreographed by Nerida Jantti, of Dancing With the Stars fame, moved to Bolero by Ravel played by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
The late Sir Edmund Hillary even appeared, with a clip of him singing during a documentary interview.
There was no mention early in the night of Dame Kiri's feud with Hayley Westenra. The young star's name was brought up only when host Mark Sainsbury was introducing opera singer Mark Denison as having sang with her previously. Dame Kiri ruffled a few feathers this week when she said Westenra was a "fake singer" and wouldn't last long in the business.
If Dame Kiri was upset about the publicity she wasn't giving anything away when she took the stage at 9.30pm with Puccini's Un Bel Di. She was greeted warmly by the audience but didn't speak until after her third number, saying: "Tonight with this magnificent choir in front of me, I hope you're going to enjoy this next one - Hine e Hine."
She sang four songs and finished to a standing ovation.
Host Sainsbury told the crowd: "If you've never heard Kiri sing live before, now you can understand why she has been such an international star."
The night ended with a spectacular fireworks display and laser light show.
Auckland University student Staci Scott, 19, who relaxed on the grass with a blanket and pillow in the early evening, said: "It's a really nice event and it's close to us. I came with some mates to chill out."
